Awwwww, baby vomit!!

     Once in a while I like to do a recap on where I am in this significant journey we call mommy hood. I was thinking about how much my life has changed, how much my perspective has changed, and how gross babies really are...unless they are yours. Then boogers are cute.

     I gave up on sleep, and doing my hair. Make up on my face is a long lost dream. I had been trying to paint my toes for two weeks. Finally got that done. How bad is it that I felt a huge sense of accomplishment once the paint dried...on my toes, and carpet, and crib skirt? If you knew to look for it, you would see a pink trail from my living room couch into my son's room. So much for that nap.

Here are some more of my favorite things so far:

1. I laugh at throw up. And myself. And me covered in throw up. Because of this I have a burp cloth in every nook and cranny in the house. We were having a snuggle fest about two months back. While laying in the middle of our king-size bed, I was on my back with Kendrick on me tummy to tummy. He likes this because he can drool on my face better. We were playing and laughing, and he burped in my face. We chuckled.
     He then proceeded to throw up all over my chest. I was in a tank top. And I couldn't help but laugh when the most glorious grin spread across his face and he started laughing so hard he was shaking my stomach. So I found myself in a predicament- middle of the bed, on my back covered in throw up, gross baby, and nothing to clean him or me up with.
     I gingerly roll him off of me, let him lay there and laugh. I began the slow, agonizing journey of scooting toward the edge of the bed...on my back. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a laundry basket full of clothes sitting next to my wall. Eureka!! I get close to the edge, stick out my foot, and snag a tank top with my toes. I figured I came this far, why not make it fancy and flip the tank top up to the bed and catch it! Success. I managed to clean up the mess without getting any on the bed. Ninja-mom skills.

2. Silly me! The butter doesn't go in the dishwasher. You do funny things when you are tired. Or beyond tired. Or in a zombie state of sleep deprivation. I am usually sharp. On top of my game. Not so much anymore.
     Nick usually makes the coffee in the morning because he starts work sooner. One morning I was up making a bottle, and being the semi-awesome girlfriend that I am, chose to make the coffee so he could lay in bed a few extra minutes. Got it all together; all that was left was adding the coffee grounds. So naturally I grabbed the formula and started scooping it in. Mmm.
     While cleaning the kitchen, I have put the toaster in the refrigerator and the butter in the dishwasher. Yup. I think Nick looks forward to hearing me start cracking up randomly because he knows he is about to hear something good!

3. Mom brain. There is no cure. But it is a great excuse. Don't really have to explain this one. Mom brain is a convenient thing if you have done something stupid or forgetful and need to displace blame.

4. No matter how crappy a day or week has been, I have my boys and they have me. Sometimes, I even get flowers out of the deal. Kendrick went flower shopping with Grandma B. He waited until they were in the car to pick mine out. And by that I mean, he reached over to the planter on the seat next to him and disembodied some petunias on the trip home :) Luckily, Dad got me roses too because that poor petunia didn't last very long!

Salty Toes and Squishy Dough

Kendrick made Mother's Day presents for his Grandmas. I know it was a while ago, but I am a busy girl. Anyone else find it ironic that I blog about being a mom and yet I am just now getting around to this topic?

I digress.

Look at what my son made!!!!

A salt dough footprint and handmade card!

Here is how:

Salt Dough Footprint
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup warm water

     Preheat oven to 200. Mix flour and salt. Add water. Mix then knead. May need to add a little flour here and there while kneading. You don't want the dough to be sticky...or crumbly. I formed a ball by tossing it from hand to hand, like a ball and mitt. Place dough ball on wax paper on a smooth plate. Place wax paper on the top as well. Flatten into a thick circle. I then made flat, circular motions on the top to give the dough a smooth surface. It makes for a good print! Remove the wax paper from the top only. Grab your munchkin! Kendrick's foot got stuck to the dough the first time so I put flour on his foot before making the impression. He looked at me weird...
     Once you make the impression and are happy with it, put it on a baking sheet and bake for 2 to 3 hours.
     Once it is done, paint it a color of your choosing. I chose a pearled paint so the foot indentations would show up nicely. I sprayed a clear gloss coat to finish it off!

Handmade Card
     I saw this idea on Pinterest and once again in real life. It is simple and fun.
    
     I cut a piece of construction paper in the Grandmas' favorite color. Then I placed drops and squiggles of acrylic paints onto the paper, placed it in a gallon size Ziploc bag, and sealed it shut. I placed the bag in front of Kendrick and let him just play with it to get the paint squished around. Once he was finished doing a phenomenal job, I removed the card and let the paint dry. I flipped it over and wrote a message to them from Kendrick! Voila!! Refrigerator art!

HAPPY FOOTPRINTING!!!!!!

I thought playing outside was free...

     So I was perusing the internet about mommy stuff, which by the way has taken up my life, and I came across this little gem of an article. Now I am not one to judge, but who would pay a woman to sit a block away drinking coffee while your child played unsupervised in Central Park?

     Yes. You read me right. I completely agree that children playing outside for hours at a time is a lost art. Growing up, my mom would kick us out of the house during the summer. We could come in to eat, pee, and nap. That was it. We had shade, a garden hose, unrelenting energy, and an awesome imagination. And somehow an endless supply of slip and slides! We were forced to get creative to have fun and learn how to interact with other kids. We didn't run around causing trouble. Well, most of us didn't. And, hallelujah, we survived adolescence!!! How can that be?!

      But you better believe my mother and every mother on that block knew where we were at all times. There is absolutely no way my mother would let us loose in Central Park unsupervised. Probably for the sake of other people, but that isn't the point.

     While I agree with this woman, and encourage independence, my son will have all the chances in the world to get his energy out on a playground, while I sit back and keep at least one eye on his whereabouts. Look at that! I just saved myself $350 big ones! I think I will treat myself to some new shoes!!